CONCORD, N.H. — A former employee of United Way in Massachusetts has been found guilty in a federal court of embezzling $6.7 million from the nonprofit organization through a technology company that he secretly owned.
Imran Alrai, aged 59, received his conviction on Wednesday in Concord, New Hampshire, where he was found guilty of 12 counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering. Sentencing for Alrai is set for January 17, 2025.
Alrai had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him.
According to prosecutors, from 2012 until June 2018, Alrai, who served as an IT professional at United Way, arranged for payments for IT services ostensibly provided by an independent contractor. Allegations stated that Alrai misrepresented details regarding the contractor’s services while hiding the fact that he had ownership and control over the business in question.
During his tenure as Vice President for IT Services at United Way, Alrai reportedly funneled additional IT projects to his own company, according to prosecutors. They noted that he frequently sent emails to himself at United Way, which included invoices from a fictitious individual.
“The United Way lost millions to the defendant — we hope the jury’s verdicts in this case is a step forward for their community,” stated U.S. Attorney Jane Young from New Hampshire in an official comment.
Alrai’s defense attorney, Robert Sheketoff, had requested an acquittal for his client. When approached via email regarding the possibility of an appeal, Sheketoff indicated that an appeal was indeed being considered.
This trial was a retrial for Alrai. In 2019, he had been found guilty on similar charges of wire fraud and money laundering; however, a judge later overturned that conviction, citing that evidence had been presented to the defense post-trial that had not been available beforehand.
